Penguin Party Food Ideas for Kids

Bring a little Antarctic fun to the table with these penguin party food ideas for kids. Make penguins from eggs, cheese balls, bananas and oatmeal, then add fish sticks or other fish-inspired foods for an easy penguin theme dinner.

Use these ideas for a family theme dinner, winter party, classroom activity or penguin unit study. Kids can help assemble the penguins, arrange an icy-looking food scene and even design a dinner invitation or menu for the occasion.

Easy Penguin Theme Dinner Formula

Choose one edible penguin + one fish-inspired main dish + fruit or vegetables + a penguin dessert. Add an igloo, snowy table decorations or toy penguins to complete the scene.

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On This Page:

Build a Penguin Theme Dinner
Penguin Table & Centerpiece Ideas
Egg Penguins
Mini Cheese Ball Penguins
Eggplant Penguin
Penguin Oatmeal
Penguin Bananas
Homemade Fish Sticks
More Fish Ideas
Penguin Cookies
Penguin Theme Questions

Build a Penguin Theme Dinner

You don't need to make every penguin on the page. Choose one edible penguin as the fun-food activity, then build the rest of the meal around foods that fit an icy or ocean theme.

Easy Penguin Dinner Menu:

Penguin snack: Egg Penguins or Mini Cheese Ball Penguins
Main dish: Homemade Fish Sticks
Breakfast-for-dinner: Penguin Oatmeal
Fruit: Penguin Bananas
Dessert: Penguin Cookies

Kids Can Help: Let kids arrange olive wings, add carrot beaks and feet, decorate bananas and build their own penguin scenes. Adults can handle cutting, hot foods and raw fish as needed.

Penguin Table & Centerpiece Ideas

Turn the dinner table into a simple snowy penguin scene with decorations you already have or foods from the menu.

Penguin family display for a penguin theme party

Toy Penguin Scene
Gather stuffed or toy penguins and arrange them in the center of the table for an easy centerpiece.

Build an Igloo
Create an igloo and arrange toy penguins or other polar animals around it to make a winter scene.

Edible Penguin Display
Arrange Egg Penguins or Mini Cheese Ball Penguins together on a platter and use the food itself as the centerpiece.

Snowy Table
Use white dishes, blue napkins and simple paper snowflakes to give the table an icy winter look.

Egg Penguins

Turn hard-boiled eggs, black olives and carrots into little standing penguins for a snack tray or edible centerpiece.

Penguins made with hard-boiled eggs, olives and carrots

Ingredients

Hard-boiled eggs, peeled
Whole pitted black olives
Carrots
Cream cheese
Lettuce for serving, optional

Directions

Stand a peeled hard-boiled egg upright for the penguin's body.
Cut one black olive in half lengthwise to make two flippers.
Use small dots of cream cheese to attach the olive halves to the sides of the egg.
Add a whole olive to the top of the egg for the head, using cream cheese to help hold it in place.
Cut a tiny triangle of carrot for the beak and gently press it into the opening of the olive.
Cut a small notch from a carrot slice to create two feet, then arrange the carrot underneath the egg.
Place the penguin on lettuce or a serving platter.

Assembly Tip: If the head will not stay in place, an adult can secure it with a toothpick. Remove all toothpicks before serving to children.

Mini Cheese Ball Penguins

Turn small chilled cheese balls into penguins with olive wings, olive heads and carrot feet.

How to Build Them:

Prepare a simple cheese ball recipe, but do not roll the cheese balls in nuts.
Shape the mixture into small balls and chill until firm.
Cut a black olive in half and attach the halves to the sides for flippers.
Cut a small notch from a carrot circle to create two feet and set the cheese ball on top.
Use a whole pitted olive for the head.
Add a tiny carrot piece to the olive opening for the beak.
Use small amounts of softened cream cheese to help the pieces stay in place.

Make Ahead: Shape and chill the cheese balls ahead of time, then let kids help add the penguin features shortly before serving.

Eggplant Penguin Centerpiece

The dark purple skin and rounded shape of an eggplant make it an easy base for a large edible penguin centerpiece.

Eggplant pieces attached to create penguin flippers

Step 1: Add the Flippers

Cut a piece from the end of the eggplant and divide it into two pieces. An adult can secure one piece to each side of the eggplant with toothpicks to form flippers.

Finished eggplant penguin decorated with cream cheese, raisins and carrots

Step 2: Decorate the Penguin

Spread a soft white dip over the front for the belly. Add small circles of dip and raisins for the eyes, then use carrot pieces for the beak and feet.

You Will Need: An eggplant, garlic cream cheese dip or another soft white spread, raisins, carrot pieces and toothpicks.

Important: Treat this as a display or supervised food-art activity. Toothpicks should be inserted and removed by an adult before any part is served.

Penguin Oatmeal

Turn a bowl of oatmeal into a penguin for breakfast or an easy breakfast-for-dinner theme.

Penguin face made with oatmeal, berries and fruit

Build Your Penguin: Spoon cooked oatmeal into a bowl or onto a plate, then use berries, banana slices and melon to create the penguin's eyes, body, beak, wings and feet.

Try Different Fruit: Blueberries, blackberries and dark grapes work well for dark penguin details, while bananas, melon, oranges or strawberries add contrast.

Penguin Bananas

Dip banana halves in chocolate and add simple candy decorations to make an easy penguin fruit treat.

Banana penguins dipped in chocolate with candy eyes and orange beaks

Ingredients

Bananas
Melted chocolate
Orange candy-coated chocolates
Candy eyes

Directions

Peel the bananas and cut them in half.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in short intervals, stirring between each interval until smooth.
Dip the rounded top of each banana half into the chocolate.
Use a spoon to bring a little chocolate down each side, leaving the center uncovered for the penguin's white belly.
Add candy eyes while the chocolate is still soft.
Cut or position orange candies to create a beak and feet.
Allow the chocolate to set before serving.

Adult Help: Melted chocolate and the bowl can become hot. An adult should supervise melting and handling it with younger children.

Homemade Fish Sticks

Homemade baked fish sticks with crispy cornflake coating

Fish sticks make an easy main dish for a penguin theme dinner. This homemade version is crispy on the outside, tender on the inside and made with a simple cornflake coating.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound cod or tilapia fillets
1 cup cornflakes, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475F. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
Cut the cod or tilapia into strips about 1 inch wide.
Place the crushed cornflakes in a shallow bowl. Add the salt and black pepper and stir to combine.
Pour the lemon juice into a second shallow bowl.
Dip each fish strip in the lemon juice, then coat it with the cornflake mixture, pressing gently so the coating sticks.
Place the coated fish sticks on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the coating is golden and crisp.
Serve warm with lemon wedges or your favorite dipping sauce.

Kid Cooking Tip: Kids can crush the cornflakes in a zip-top bag, measure and mix the seasonings, and help coat the fish strips. An adult should supervise cutting and handling the raw fish and using the hot oven.

Serving Ideas

Serve homemade fish sticks with tartar sauce, ketchup, or a squeeze of fresh lemon. Add roasted vegetables, steamed broccoli, rice, a side salad, or oven fries to turn them into an easy family dinner.
See more fish recipes.

More Fish Ideas for a Penguin Dinner

Since penguins eat fish and other sea life, ocean-inspired foods are an easy way to build out the rest of the theme dinner. Try a playful fish-shaped meal or choose another family-friendly fish recipe.

Fish-Shaped Pizza

Shape pizza dough like a fish and decorate it with cheese, vegetables, pepperoni or other favorite toppings. Find this idea along with more ocean-inspired foods on our Under the Sea Party page.

Easy Fish Recipes for Kids

Choose another family-friendly fish dinner to serve as the main dish. Baked fish, breaded fish and other simple recipes all fit naturally into a penguin theme meal.

Explore Easy Fish Recipes

Theme Dinner Shortcut: The main dish doesn't have to look like a penguin. Pair a regular fish dinner with one of the edible penguins on this page and the theme still comes together.

Penguin Cookies

Finish the meal with decorated penguin cookies for an easy theme dessert or party activity.

Make It an Activity: Bake the cookies ahead of time, then set out frosting and decorations so kids can create their own penguin faces.

Penguin Party Food Questions

What foods work for a penguin theme dinner?

Try egg penguins, mini cheese ball penguins, penguin bananas, penguin oatmeal and homemade fish sticks. Fish and ocean-inspired foods work especially well because they naturally fit the penguin theme.

What is an easy penguin snack for kids to make?

Egg Penguins are an easy choice when the eggs and vegetables are prepared ahead of time. Kids can help arrange olive flippers, carrot feet and the penguin's face.

How can kids help with a penguin theme dinner?

Kids can assemble edible penguins, decorate banana penguins, arrange fruit on oatmeal, crush cornflakes for fish sticks and help create a snowy table scene. Adults can handle knives, hot foods and raw fish as needed.

What decorations work for a penguin party?

Use toy penguins, an igloo, white and blue table decorations, paper snowflakes or the edible penguins themselves as a centerpiece. Kids can also make penguin invitations or menus for the dinner.

Make your own Theme Dinner Party page.

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